International workshop: UTILIZATION OF GENETIC RESOURCES OF VEGETABLES IN VIETNAM

Following the activity schedule of 2019, under the collaboration with Japan Association for Techno-innovation in Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (JATAFF), the Vegetable research group of Faculty of Agronomy (FoA) has organized the international workshop “Utilization of genetic resources of vegetables in Vietnam” on December, 12- 13th 2019. The workshop implied that collaboration at the country level to preserve vegetable genetic resources together with a great improvement in breeding program were keys to deal with current challenges in vegetable production in Vietnam.

The workshop international participants included Professor SHIGYO Masayoshi- Yamaguchi University, Dr. FUJII Takeshi- JATAFF, and Dr. TABATA Makoto- IC Net Limited, Japan. The Vietnamese participants included Dr. Nguyen Duc Huy- Vice Dean of FoA, Assoc. Prof. Tran Thi Minh Hang- Leader of the Vegetable research group, Mr. Nguyen Van Dan from the Department of Crop production (MARD), Dr. Hoang Thi Hue from the Plant resources center, Dr. Hoang Minh Chau from, the Fruit and Vegetable Research Institute (FAVRI), lecturers, researcher, and students of FoA.

On December, 12th, 2019, Japanese delegates and members of the Vegetable research group jointed a field trip to visit Van Duc vegetable cooperative, FAVRI at Gialam- Hanoi, and VinEco farm at Tam Dao- Vinh Phuc. The trip provided an overview of vegetable research and production system in the Red river delta of Vietnam.

At VinEco farm (Tam Dao, Vinh Phuc): Delegates visited lettuce seedless production system, mechanical application in growing sprouts and mushroom.

On December, 13th 2019, all delegates took part into the workshop held at Hall B, Administration building, Vietnam National University of Agriculture (VNUA). The workshop focused mainly on sharing information and looking for useful collaborations in plant genetic germplasms exchanging between Vietnam and international organizations to supports the vegetable breeding program in Vietnam.

Overview of the workshop

In the opening speech, Dr. Nguyen Duc Huy emphasized the importance of genetic resources in plant breeding. He said: “In the recent years, Faculty of Agronomy has established a collaboration network with other research institutions within Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development of Vietnam. Such internal collaboration, especially on genetic resources exchange, resulted in successes in different crops, including vegetables. However, to achieve a breakthrough in this field, international collaboration is crucial. Dr. Huy also believed that this collaboration will mutually benefit both VNUA and collaborating organizations”.

During the workshop, eight reports were presented with many helpful information, proposing great opportunities for further collaboration. The first two reports, presented respectively by Mr. Nguyen Van Dan and Dr. Tanaka Makoto, focused on law bases and regulation of vegetable genetic resources exchange between Vietnam and Japan. Then Professor Shigyo Masayoshi of Yamaguchi University talked about the characterization of genetic resources of vegetables. A clear message has been released that the Japanese plant genetic exchange programs have been giving breeders over the world free access to many of their resources. Three Vietnamese presenters including Dr. Hoang Thi Hue, Dr. Vu Thanh Hai and Dr. Vu Quynh Hoa presented case studies of using vegetable genetic resources in their institutions: “Utilization of vegetable genetic resources in Vietnam: a case from Vietnam Plant Resources Center”; “Development status and opportunities of cruciferous seed industry for Vietnam market”; and “Studies toward development of elite vegetables varieties in the Red River Delta region of Vietnam”. Finally, two reports on specific research results have closed the presentation section: “Use of microbial genetic resources soil metagenome for agriculture” presented by Dr. Jujii Takeshi and “From the Single Truss Tomato Production System (STTPS) in the Greenhouse to Limited Truss Tomato Production System (LTTPS) on the opened field” presented by Msc. Tran Thien Long.

In the closing speech, Assoc. Prof. Tran Thi Minh Hang thanked all the participants, especially the guest speakers, for their contribution to the success of the workshop. She stated that VNUA vegetables research group and herself looked forward to working together with all partners for the future of vegetable research, production and exportation of Vietnam.

Participants’ group photo